WELCOME TO 2016! If you are like most people, you pushed a number of issues into the new year and now is the time to address them. One of the issues that tends to be pushed into January is employee hiring. Do you have a few job openings and not a lot of prospects to fill them? 
Recruiting for employees, especially hourly employees can be very frustrating. It is getting increasingly difficult to find employees with the necessary skills to work in a manufacturing environment.
Here are 7 tips that will help you recruit the most qualified employees.
- Don’t limit recruiting to just when there is an opening. The chances of finding a highly qualified employee at the exact moment that you have a need are much lower than if you recruit on a continual basis. You might not have an immediate need to hire, but, if someone with your desired skills set is available, it may be best to hire them and make room in the organization. If you wait until there is an opening, your highly qualified candidate will probably have found another position.
- Does your job description sell the position to your desired candidate or does it read like a legal document? Consider including not only the skills needed to do the job but also some interesting challenges that a candidate might face. You might want to reach out to a member of your marketing team or a “creative” for some input on wordsmithing.
- Ask your current employees, especially the good ones. If you have an employee who has had a positive impact on your organization, chances are that he/she has friends that may be looking for a job. Offering an incentive to the employee is an option to help attract new employees.
- Don’t limit your hiring practices to regular business hours. Most qualified applicants have another job and may need to apply when they are not at work. A few options for applicants to reach you off-hours include an answering service, a job line or even applying on-line.
- Use technology to help attract employees. Let’s face it, most people look for jobs on-line. And if you aren’t listing your job on-line, you aren’t being seen. Depending on the type of employee you are searching for, there are plenty of websites to list your openings or you can also list your openings on your company’s website.
- Does your company’s on-line presence attract the right type of employees? A tech savvy applicant is going to Google your company – what will they find? A website doesn’t just give you credibility with your customers, it also provides credibility with your current and future employees.
- Get involved in the community. There are plenty of ways to be involved in the local community and through those activities, you can get to know the people in the community better. Whether you serve on a board, volunteer at a school or join a local professional organization, you are building and strengthening relationships. These relationships may become a source of referrals.
These tips may not help you fill the openings you have right now, but, if you start now, you will already have qualified candidates in your pipeline before the need arises.
For more practical tips for manufacturing professionals to attract, train and retain your hourly workforce, go to www.keyprocessinnovations.com.